Flashpacker, when I was looking for Indonesian recipes, I was directed to the Asian Vegan Kitchen by Hema Parekh. There is also a Vietnamese section in there, and I must say, I love this book. The recipes are really authentic and what I have made has been delicious.

Vijita, I was thinking of buying Vietnamese Fusion, but the Amazon reviews threw me off--especially the ones saying that it is totally inauthentic and lacks herbs, spices, etc. Do you disagree with those people?

]Vijita, I was thinking of buying Vietnamese Fusion, but the Amazon reviews threw me off--especially the ones saying that it is totally inauthentic and lacks herbs, spices, etc. Do you disagree with those people?

I do, actually! I am not Vietnamese and have never been to Vietnam, though, but the recipes seem authentic and taste similar to the veg options at Vietnamese places here. That said, I do live in Canada, but even though that book has "fusion" in its title, I still think it's probably popular with both purists and fusiony people.

Vijita, I was thinking of buying Vietnamese Fusion, but the Amazon reviews threw me off--especially the ones saying that it is totally inauthentic and lacks herbs, spices, etc. Do you disagree with those people?

I have Vietnamese Fusion as well, and I love it. I don't much about authenticity, but everything I've made from the book tasted delicious. My only complaint is some recipes call for "coconut cream," and I've not the foggiest what that is. These are savory recipes, so I know it's not referring to the canned coconut cream used in pina coladas, which is the only thing I've ever seen labeled "coconut cream." I subbed coconut milk and just used a bit less, and that worked ok.

I have Vietnamese Fusion and I've greatly enjoyed what I've made. I spent 3 weeks travelling round Vietnam earlier this year and the food I've made from it is definitely like what we ate. I blogged about making some Vietnamese stuff from it here http://cookingtheveganbooks.com/2012/06 ... e-at-home/

Yeah, I'm surprised by the negative reviews! It's one of my favourite cookbooks, and doesn't seem inauthentic beyond maybe excluding some ingredients that are virtually impossible to find in most of the Western world.